The 2026 Repco Supercars Championship has officially launched, and the message from the sport is clear: momentum is at an all-time high, and the season ahead is shaping as one of the most anticipated in Australian motorsport history.
The season begins this week with the DUNLOP Sydney 500, and the energy coming out of Tuesday night’s launch was built for exactly that. Supercars’ launch hype reel, produced by Supercars TV, set the tone early and left little doubt about the scale of expectations for what comes next.
On track, the storylines are immediate and sharp.
Chaz Mostert returns to defend a championship that has been a long time coming, doing it in the new Toyota GR Supra. The grid also includes a fired-up Broc Feeney, chasing redemption after a heartbreak finish to last season, now in a new Ford Mustang. Anton de Pasquale will lead the charge for the Chevrolet Camaros, as another major manufacturer battle builds in the background.
Five rookies enter the mix this year, and the numbers underline how quickly the championship is shifting. Supercars says 24 drivers make up the youngest grid in the sport’s history, arriving with the intent to make their names at the top of Australian sport. The championship is also leaning into its global reach, with the claim that “the world is watching”, adding: “Just ask F1 legend Max Verstappen.”
That confidence is grounded in the performance of 2025, which Supercars describes as record-breaking. The sport says 1.64 million fans attended races across the year, including 102,000 on Grand Final Sunday alone. Broadcast figures grew by 17 per cent, streaming boomed by 42 per cent, and digital engagement hit 510 million, up 85 per cent, which Supercars says shows the growing appetite for the category.
Supercars Chief Executive James Warburton used the launch to reinforce the sport’s view of last season, describing a year that delivered depth and unpredictability right across the field.
“The racing delivered everything we promised and more,” Warburton said. “Nine different Boost Mobile pole winners. 75 per cent of drivers reached the podium, a record for the sport surpassing 2014. Two of the closest finishes in our history. The tightest manufacturer battle in more than 20 years, quite frankly the best motorsport racing on the planet.”
Off track, the championship is also widening how it tells the story of the season.
The premiere of Supercars: Road to Glory is now live on Prime Video, a behind-the-scenes documentary focused on the tension and drama of last season’s inaugural Repco Finals Series. Supercars says it follows Mostert’s path to a long-awaited, maiden championship, and it also captures the heartbreak of Feeney’s final-day troubles.
Another documentary, From Clay to Carbon, focuses on the making of the new Toyota GR Supra Supercar. Supercars says it is airing now on Kayo SPORTS, Foxtel and 7Plus, and frames both releases as access to the sport “never seen before”.
In week-to-week coverage, Foxtel will also launch Motorsport 360, a new show built around debate and discussion of the season’s biggest topics.
With the calendar set, Supercars says 2026 will feature 14 rounds and 37 races across a record 7,135 kilometres. It will also introduce a “new, contemporary commentary lineup”, unveiled last week, and a broader technology overhaul aimed at bringing Supercars to the “cutting edge” of global sports broadcasting.
A key change for viewers is that every session will be shown live in 4K Ultra High Definition for the first time, on Kayo SPORTS and Foxtel, with coverage complemented by 7 and 7+ beginning this weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The season opener itself is positioned as an event, not just a race meeting. Supercars highlights the first “Free Fan Friday” of the year, racing under lights, and a weekend of entertainment including Jet’s Saturday night rock show.
“To our teams and drivers, you are the stars of this show,” Warburton said. “Let’s make 2026 even bigger. Let’s continue to push boundaries, to innovate, to entertain and to grow. The best of Supercars is yet to come.”
